msilberg

I think Ducati have been making marketing mistakes that will result in reduced sales figures for their lineup. The Ducati brand has been built around the idea of exclusivity and classic Italian beauty. The Monster wasn't so exclusive, but it was still a classic looking bike with the trellis frame. They messed up the classic look by making a chimeric trellis/mold frame and giving it a less classic more Japanese manga look. Now it has neither exclusivity nor classic looks.

The Streetfighter has a few problems of it's own, although performance is not one of them. The first is the Streetfighter's non-classic, Japanese manga looks, especially the headlight housing. Notice how Giulio Malagoli, the Streetfighter’s project leader, said it was his favorite part. That was to deflect criticism. The second problem is the uninspired name, "Streetfigher". It's just not creative. It's a functional name that is not inspiring. In addition, calling a bike a "fighter" is like saying "I'm a tough guy!" It's weak.

The price is high, but that's not necessarily a problem because it lends to exclusivity. Too bad a couple simple things that would have cost little to fix, the name and simple styling cues, will contribute to weak sales and an overall dilution of the Ducati brand image.

anrajala

French lingerie
French letters

- cruiz-euro

vermicious

Meh... bragging rights are a non-issue. I don't ride with anyone who cares and I don't care about anyone I don't ride with

I wasn't paying close enough attention to determine what the differences were or whether the 18k applied to stock or a bullied up version of the bike.